Sideburner assembly for barbecue grills

ABSTRACT

A sideburner is disclosed, including a burner pan, a base, and a burner element supported by the burner pan. The burner pan comprises a floor, upper sidewalls with a first dimension, lower sidewalls with a second dimension, and a substantially horizontal shelf. The second dimension is smaller than the second dimension. The shelf joins an upper portion of the lower sidewall to a lower portion of the upper sidewall. The base has a substantially flat top surface and a front surface. The top surface has a recessed opening located over the burner pan.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to barbecue grills, and, more particularly, to an improved sideburner assembly.

BACKGROUND

Outdoor grills are popular for cooking a variety of foods, but often a complete meal includes foods that are not easily cooked on a grill. For example, a pot or pan containing sauce can be placed on the grill and heated by the burner underneath. However, the grill and burner elements are designed to cook food items in direct contact with the grill, and are not optimal for even and controlled heating of a pan placed on the grill. Many grills are designed to work most efficiently with the lid of the grill in a closed position, precluding the use of pots and pans under the closed lid. In addition, the handles on many pots and pans cannot withstand the sometimes extreme temperatures inside a barbecue grill.

Prior art grills have addressed this problem by providing a separate burner, with its own control, which is mounted to the side of the grill. Some sideburners use a conventional grill so that a pan may be placed above the burner. Other sideburners do not use a grill above the burner, and instead use a burner ring configured to support a pan like an indoor stove. In either case, cooking by direct contact with a grate on prior art grills can be performed on the main burners, but not with the prior art sideburners.

As different foods finish cooking on the grill at different times, it is also convenient to keep the finished foods warm. The main grill area is typically unsuitable for this, even when one of the burners is turned off, due to heat from adjacent burners. However, the conventional sideburner is also not optimal for warming. Even a low flame on the sideburner will cause the finished items to become overcooked. But without a flame heat dissipates quickly and the food items get cold.

Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

SUMMARY

An embodiment of a sideburner in accordance with the invention includes a burner pan, a base, and a burner element supported by the burner pan. The burner pan is typically rectangular, comprising a floor, upper sidewalls with a first dimension, lower sidewalls with a second dimension, and a substantially horizontal shelf. The second dimension is smaller than the first dimension. The shelf joins an upper portion of the lower sidewall to a lower portion of the upper sidewall. The base has a substantially flat top surface and a front surface. The top surface has a recessed opening located over the burner pan.

Another embodiment of a sideburner in accordance with the invention includes a burner pan, a base, a burner element supported by the burner pan, and a tray. The base has a substantially flat top surface and a front surface. The top surface has a recessed opening located over the burner pan. The tray is disposed on the top surface of the base and sized to cover the opening of the base. The tray comprises a rectilinear surface having a front corner and a back corner. The surface slopes from the front corner to the back corner. A depressed area is disposed on the back corner of the rectilinear surface at the lowest point of the slope to serve as a grease collection area.

Other features and/or advantages in addition to, or in lieu of, those presented above will be or may become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional features and/or advantages be included herein within the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosed burner assembly can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the burner assembly. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sideburner assembly of the present invention disposed on a barbecue grill cart.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a sideburner assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational and cross-sectional view of the burner pan of FIG. 2, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are side elevational and front elevational views, respectively, of the tray of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of another embodiment of the burner pan.

FIG. 5B is a perspective view of another embodiment of the burner pan.

FIG. 5C is a perspective view of still another embodiment of the burner pan.

FIG. 6A through 6D are cutaway elevation views of the sideburner assembly as used with different cookware.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sideburner assembly of the present invention disposed in a barbecue grill cart frame 104. Grill 100 includes firebox 101, cover 102, gas supply 103, frame 104, and sideburner assembly 200. Base 201 of sideburner assembly 200 is mounted to frame 104, and lid 202 is secured by a hinge mechanism to base 201. In the example embodiment of FIG. 1, sideburner assembly 200 is mounted along one side of frame 104, such that the top surface of sideburner assembly 200 is at roughly the same height as the top of firebox 101. Using this arrangement, the same gas supply 103 and manifold (not shown) can easily supply gas to the burner elements in the firebox 101 and to the burner element 203 (see FIG. 2) in sideburner assembly 200. However, other mounting arrangements for sideburner assembly 200 are also possible, for example, at different heights.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a sideburner assembly of the present invention. The sideburner assembly 200 comprises base 201, lid 202, burner element 203, and burner pan 204. Base 201 has a substantially flat top surface 205 with a recessed opening 206. Burner pan 204 is disposed within opening 206, and is supported by base 201. In one embodiment, this support is provided by a flange 207 which extends outward from the upper perimeter of burner pan 204. In this embodiment, pan 204 is disposed within opening 206 such that the flange 207 rests on the top surface 205 of base 201. In another embodiment, pan 204 could be disposed within opening 206 and fastened to base 201 through fastening means such as screw, rivet, nut and bolt, etc.

Pan 204 has a floor 208 and sides 209. Floor 208 supports burner element 203. Perforations 210 in the sides 209 of 601 allow air to enter the sideburner assembly 200 in the vicinity of the burner element 203. Perforations 210 can be of various sizes and shapes, such as holes, slits, etc. In this example embodiment, perforations 210 are located on all sides 209 of 204, but other variations in placement of perforations 210 are possible.

Gas is dispersed through a plurality of orifices (not shown) formed on the burner element 203. The exiting gas mixes with the air entering through perforations 210, and the resulting air-gas mixture is ignited by an ignitor (not shown). In an example embodiment, the venturi tube of burner element 203 extends into 204 through an aperture 211 in the floor 208, and burner element 203 is disposed above this aperture 211. Other embodiments are possible, for example, the venturi tube may enter through an aperture in one of the sides 209 of 204.

Sideburner assembly 200 allows several ways of cooking food. Tray 212 is sized larger than opening 206, so that it rests on top surface 205. When burner element 203 is ignited, food items can be cooked by placing the items directly on the tray 212, or a pan can be placed on tray 212. Pan 204 is made of a heat conducting material such as metal, which allows heat produced by burner element 203 to be reflected and captured within sideburner assembly 200. Cooking is thus more efficient with pan 204 than with burner element 203 and base 201 alone. The material and placement of pan 204 also allows it to conduct heat from the firebox 101 (see FIG. 1). Thus, sideburner assembly 200 can be used as a warming area for items (e.g., buns, fish, meat, hot dogs, hamburgers, etc.) placed on tray 212 by closing lid 202 and turning burner element 203 to the off position. In a preferred embodiment, tray 212 has a non-stick coating such as Teflon®.

The vertical depth of lid 202 is greater than on prior art sideburner lids, which are typically shallow. This deep design allows lid 202 to cover pots, pans, and foods of various sizes which cannot be accommodated by shallow prior art lids. Lid 202 has a handle 214, which in one embodiment is secured to lid 202 at one end of the handle but not at the other. In this embodiment, handle 214 is shaped so that it slopes away from lid 202 at the end not mounted to lid 202. This defines a gap between handle 214 and lid 202. The gap provides space for a hand to easily grip handle 214, and keeps the handle 214 cool. Another handle 213 mounted to base 201 allows the entire grill 100 to be easily moved. In a preferred embodiment, lid 202 has at least one hole or slot on its back surface, which provides ventilation.

FIG. 3 is a side cutaway view of the pan 204 of FIG. 2. Pan 204 includes upper and lower sidewalls 219, 220. In this embodiment upper sidewall 219 and lower sidewall 220 are not vertical, but have a slope. The sloped surfaces reflect heat toward the center and top of the pan, thus providing more efficient cooking for items placed above burner element 203 (see FIG. 2), as compared to vertical surfaces.

Shelf 221 joins the lower portion of upper sidewall 219 with the upper portion of lower sidewall 220. The upper portion of the pan, defined by upper sidewall 219, has a diameter 222 which is different than the diameter 223 of the lower portion of the pan, defined by lower sidewall 220. The perforations 210 in lower sidewall 220 are thus located closer to burner element 203 than the perforations 210 in upper sidewall 219, allowing improved air circulation within pan 204 for efficient burning. Shelf 221 also allows a deep pan with a shallow base, such as a wok, to be used with sideburner assembly 200. The base of the wok rests on shelf 221, allowing the bottom of the pan to be closer to burner element 203, and reducing the overall height of the pan above the burner element 203.

In an example embodiment, a grate 224 is sized to fit on, and be supported by, shelf 221. Since this lower portion of pan 204 is closer to burner element 203 than is the upper portion, the grate 224 allows food items or pots/pans to be positioned closer to the flame for more efficient cooking. In a preferred embodiment, grate 224 has a non-stick coating such as Teflon(&.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are a front cutaway and a side cutaway view, respectively, of the tray 212 of FIG. 2. As can be seen in the figure, the top surface 401 of tray 212 slopes from right side 402 to left side 403, and from front 404 to back 405. This arrangement allows drippings from food placed on tray 212 to drain toward the back left corner of tray 212, where a depression 406 is located. With this arrangement, foods that produce relatively large amounts of grease, such as bacon, can be cooked and the grease conveniently collected in depression 406. The drippings can then be easily disposed of by removing tray 212 and pouring out the drippings.

FIGS. 5A-C show perspective views of several example embodiments of 204, each with a different arrangement of perforations 210. In the embodiment of 5A, the perforations 210 are substantially circular, and arranged on only one side of pan 204. This arrangement allows multiple configurations: the perforated side may be placed toward the firebox 101, where the perforations 210 improve heat conduction from the firebox; or the perforated side may be placed on the opposite side, where the perforations 210 provide improved ventilation and cooling. In the embodiment of 5B, each perforation 210 comprises a single slot running substantially parallel to the edges of 601, and three sides of pan 204 have a perforation 210. The larger slot increases air flow for greater heat conduction or ventilation. In the embodiment of 5C, the perforations 210 are substantially circular, and arranged on opposing sides of pan 204.

FIGS. 6A-D are front cutaway views of sideburner assembly 200 in use with types of different cookware, showing how sideburner assembly 200 can be used to perform various cooking and grilling tasks. FIG. 6A shows sideburner assembly 200 configured with grate 224 resting on shelf 221, and a pan 601 resting on grate 224. The diameter of pan 601 is small relative to the diameter of upper sidewall 219. In this configuration, pan 601 is thus heated by burner element 203, and pan 601 may contain, for example, a liquid. In this configuration, tray 212 is not used, and lid 202 is open.

FIG. 6B shows sideburner assembly 200 configured with grate 224 resting on shelf 221, and wok 602 resting on grate 224. The slope and diameter of upper sidewall 219 allows a relatively large portion of the volume of wok 602 to be received in the space formed by upper sidewall 219. In this configuration, the bottom surface of wok 602 is directly heated by burner element 203, and the side surfaces of wok 602 receive additional indirect heat from upper sidewall 219. In this configuration, tray 212 is not used, and lid 202 is open.

FIG. 6C shows sideburner assembly 200 configured with tray 212 resting on top surface 205 and lid 202 open. In this illustration, grate 224 is also present, but this is not necessary for this configuration. In this configuration, burner element 203 is set to a relatively high setting, so that tray 212 receives enough heat to be used to fry/grill food (for example, bacon).

FIG. 6D shows sideburner assembly 200 configured with tray 212 resting on top surface 205 and lid 202 closed. In this illustration, grate 224 is also present, but this is not necessary for this configuration. In this configuration, burner element 203 is set to a relatively low setting, so that tray 212 receives some heat from burner element 203. However, warming rather than cooking will take place because tray 212 is spaced relatively far from burner element 203.

The foregoing description has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments discussed, however, were chosen and described to illustrate the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variation are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly and legally entitled. 

1. A sideburner for a grill comprising: a burner pan comprising a floor, an upper sidewall, and a lower sidewall with a substantially horizontal shelf, the upper sidewall having a first dimension, the lower sidewall disposed beneath the upper sidewall and having a second dimension smaller than the first dimension, the shelf joining an upper portion of the lower sidewall to a lower portion of the upper sidewall; a burner element supported by the burner pan; a base having a substantially flat top surface, the top surface having a recessed opening located over the burner pan; a removable tray sized to rest on the top surface of the base and to substantially cover the opening in the base; a removable grate sized to rest on the burner pan shelf; and a lid secured by a hinge means to an edge of the top surface of the base, wherein the vertical depth of the lid is sized to cover a deep pan.
 2. The sideburner of claim 1, wherein the lower sidewall is sized to receive the bottom portion of a wok such that the bottom surface of the work rests on the horizontal shelf.
 3. The sideburner of claim 1, wherein the vertical height of the removable grate allows the grate to rest on the burner pan shelf while simultaneously the tray rests on the top surface of the base.
 4. The sideburner of claim 1, wherein the upper sidewall further comprises a flange extending outward from the perimeter.
 5. The sideburner of claim 1, wherein the upper sidewall has a plurality of perforations.
 6. The sideburner of claim 5, wherein the perforations in the upper sidewall are holes.
 7. The sideburner of claim 5, wherein the perforations in the upper sidewall are slits.
 8. The sideburner of claim 1, wherein the lower sidewall has a plurality of perforations.
 9. The sideburner of claim 1, wherein the upper sidewall slopes toward the shelf.
 10. The sideburner of claim 1, wherein the lower sidewall slopes toward the floor.
 11. A grill comprising: a firebox; a cooking surface disposed within the firebox; a fuel source; a sideburner; and a manifold configured to deliver fuel from the fuel source to the sideburner, wherein the sideburner further comprises: a burner pan comprising a floor, an upper sidewall, and a lower sidewall with a substantially horizontal shelf, the upper sidewall having a first dimension, the lower sidewall disposed beneath the upper sidewall and having a second dimension smaller than the first dimension, the shelf joining an upper portion of the lower sidewall to a lower portion of the upper sidewall; a burner element supported by the burner pan; a base having a substantially flat top surface, the top surface having a recessed opening located over the burner pan; a removable tray sized to rest on the top surface of the base and to substantially cover the opening in the base; a removable grate sized to rest on the burner pan shelf; and a lid secured by a hinge means to an edge of the top surface of the base, wherein the vertical depth of the lid is sized to cover a deep pan.
 12. The grill of claim 11, wherein the lower sidewall is sized to receive the bottom portion of a wok such that the bottom surface of the work rests on the horizontal shelf.
 13. The grill of claim 11, wherein the upper sidewall has a plurality of perforations.
 14. A sideburner for a grill comprising: a burner pan; a base having a substantially flat top surface, the top surface having a recessed opening located over the burner pan; a burner element supported by the burner pan; and a tray disposed on the top surface of the base and sized to cover the opening of the base.
 15. The sideburner of claim 14, wherein the tray further comprises: a rectilinear surface sloping from a first area to a second area; and a depressed area disposed in the second area.
 16. The sideburner of claim 15, wherein the rectilinear surface has a front corner and a back corner, and the rectlinear surface slopes from the front corner to the back corner.
 17. The sideburner of claim 16, wherein the depressed area is disposed in the back corner of the rectilinear surface at the lowest point of the slope of the rectlinear surface.
 18. The sideburner of claim 14, further comprising a lid secured by a hinge means to an edge of the top surface.
 19. A sideburner for a grill comprising: a burner pan comprising a floor, an upper sidewall, and a lower sidewall with a substantially horizontal shelf, the upper sidewall having a first dimension, the lower sidewall disposed beneath the upper sidewall and having a second dimension smaller than the first dimension, the shelf joining an upper portion of the lower sidewall to a lower portion of the upper sidewall; a base having a substantially flat top surface, the top surface having a recessed opening located over the burner pan; and a burner element supported by the burner pan.
 20. The sideburner of claim 19, further comprising a lid secured by a hinge means to an edge of the top surface.
 21. The sideburner of claim 19, wherein the vertical depth of the lid is sized to cover a saucepan.
 22. The sideburner of claim 19, further comprising a grate disposed on the burner pan shelf.
 23. The sideburner of claim 19, wherein the upper sidewall further comprises a flange extending outward from the perimeter.
 24. The sideburner of claim 19, wherein the upper sidewall has a plurality of perforations.
 25. The sideburner of claim 24, wherein the perforations in the upper sidewall are holes.
 26. The sideburner of claim 24, wherein the perforations in the upper sidewall are slits.
 27. The sideburner of claim 19, wherein the lower sidewall has a plurality of perforations.
 28. The sideburner of claim 19, wherein the upper sidewall slopes toward the shelf.
 29. The sideburner of claim 19, wherein the lower sidewall slopes toward the floor.
 30. The sideburner of claim 19, further comprising a tray disposed on the top surface of the base and sized to cover the opening of the base. 